In the Autumn Statement on 22 November 2023, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt MP said he would cut the main 12% rate of employee national insurance contributions by two percentage points to 10% as of 6 January 2024. Despite this, the UK continues to face the largest fall in real living standards since records began in the 1950s and are forecast to be 3.5% lower in 2024-25 than their pre-pandemic level. With the economy flatlining and Britain's total debt far higher than before the pandemic, the tax burden is here to stay and will not decrease under this Conservative government.

At Treasury Questions on Tuesday 19 December 2023 I asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer a question: "Will the Chancellor confirm how much higher the tax burden is forecast to be at the end, compared with at the start, of this Parliament?"

The Chancellor answered by saying: "What I can confirm is that, as a result of the measures I took in the autumn statement, it will be lower at the end of the scorecard period than it would otherwise have been, and a lot lower than it would be under any Labour Government."

The Chancellor did not answer the question. It is vital to know specifically how much higher the tax burden is forecast to be by the end of this Parliament.

I met the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the Advent Event in Parliament on Monday 18 December 2023 at the Advent Event held in Parliament. Both the Archbishop and Sir Keir Starmer spoke about the Advent message and the call for peace in the world.

 

I welcomed Politics students from E-ACT West Walsall Academy on a tour of Parliament on Monday 18 December 2023. I gave the students a tour of the Houses of Parliament and talked to them about the British political system, the UK Constitution, the structures of Parliament and how MPs hold the Government to account. The students visited both Chambers, learning about British politics with a hands-on view of  Palace of Westminster and Whitehall. We had Q and A about the work of MPs and how we scrutinise legislation. I also showed the students how we vote.  

Parliament organises regular tours for constituents and schools to visit and learn more about the Houses of Parliament. Find out more by visiting: parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/ 

Several pharmacy students in Walsall South wrote to me saying they do not have access to the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) which is a training grant of £5,000 per academic year for students on a select list of pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate courses. Students in pharmacy courses are not included in the list of courses eligible for the LSF which helps students gain their professional qualifications.


On 28 November 2023, I submitted a Written Question to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care asking: "What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of trends in the level of pharmacy students in Walsall South constituency."

The Minister for Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care responded on 4 December 2023 saying: 

"The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by over £2.4 billion to fund additional education and training places over the next five years, sets out the ambition to increase training places for pharmacists across England by nearly 50% to around 5,000 by 2031/32, and to grow the number of pharmacy technicians. Increasing training places will increase the number of pharmacy students, including those choosing to study in schools of pharmacy in proximity to Walsall South constituency." This implies there is a shortage in the number of pharmacists in England. 

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association and Pharmacy Schools Council have written to the then Minister for Health and Secondary Care Will Quince MP on 22 September 2023 with a request that pharmacy students be given access to the LSF.

I have written to the Minister for Health and Secondary Care Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson MP to make the case for pharmacy students to be given access to the NHS Learning Support Fund to help them gain their professional qualifications and meet the target set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. 

 

The Government published a white paper titled 'International development in a contested world: ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change' on 20 November 2023 setting out this Government's approach to international development to 2030. The white paper says the Government is "increasing the number of UK development diplomats".

At Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Questions on Tuesday 12 December 2023, I asked the Minister for International Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell MP a question: "The White Paper also talks about development diplomats. How many will be trained and what will be the cost?"

The Minister for International Development and Africa answered by saying: "Yes, the right hon. Lady is quite right: we are increasing the number of development diplomats—I thought she mentioned something about water, but I may have misheard. The point about the White Paper is that it sets out very clearly the aims and aspiration that Britain has to drive forward the sustainable development goals and ensure that we increase climate finance at this critical time. She will be pleased to have seen that and will note that we are now driving forward that agenda."